Overview
Sponsor-declared trial summary
Osteoarthritis
To compare the effect of metformin, relative to placebo, on finger joint pain of the target hand measured as change in a visual analogue scale (VAS) after 16 weeks of treatment, in patients with painful hand OA.
Key facts
- Sponsor
- Bispebjerg Hospital
- Participant type
- Patients
- Age range
- 18-64 years, 65+ years
- Gender
- Male and Female
- Therapeutic area
- Diseases [C] - Musculoskeletal Diseases [C05]
- Trial duration
- 3 May 2024 → ongoing
- Decision date (initial)
- 2024-04-11
- Transition trial
- No
- Low-intervention
- No
- Rare-disease indication
- No
- Vulnerable population
- No
Trial design
CTIS Part I — objectives, methods, condition coding
Main objective
Scope: Therapy
To compare the effect of metformin, relative to placebo, on finger joint pain of the target hand measured as change in a visual analogue scale (VAS) after 16 weeks of treatment, in patients with painful hand OA.
Conditions and MedDRA coding
Osteoarthritis
| Version | Level | Code | Term | System organ class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | LLT | 10019115 | Hand osteoarthritis | 10028395 |
| 21.0 | PT | 10029469 | Nodal osteoarthritis | 100000004859 |
| 21.0 | LLT | 10064565 | Erosive osteoarthritis | 10028395 |
| 21.1 | LLT | 10016686 | Finger osteoarthritis | 10028395 |
Eligibility criteria
Principal inclusion / exclusion criteria as submitted by sponsor
Inclusion criteria 1
- Study participants will have a diagnosis of hand OA. Diagnosis will be confirmed by a medical doctor at baseline and participants must fulfil the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for hand OA (35): • Hand pain, aching or stiffness on most days the previous 4 weeks And at least 3 of the following features: • Hard tissue enlargement of ≥2 of the 10 selected joints* • Hard tissue enlargement of ≥2 of the 10 DIP joints • Fewer than 3 swollen metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints • Deformity of at least 1 of 10 selected joints* *The 10 selected joints are the second and third DIP, the second and third PIP, and the first carpometacarpal joints of both hands. An individual will be eligible for study participation if he/she meets the following criteria: 1. Age ≥18 years 2. Hand OA according to the ACR criteria above 3. Average finger (2 to 5) pain ≥4 on a 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS where 10 is worst pain) over the past 30 days 4. Metformin naive
Exclusion criteria 1
- A participant will be excluded from the study if he/she meets any of the following criteria listed below. Known diseases will be based on diagnosis registered in the participants health journal. If an exclusion diagnosis is suspected, necessary diagnostics will be performed before inclusion in the study. Comorbidities 1. History of, or current signs of medical disease that may affect joints, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis 2. Psoriasis 3. Known malignancy (except successfully treated squamous or basal cell skin carcinoma) 4. Drug or alcohol abuse in the last year 5. Existing nerve entrapment syndromes (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome) 6. Known diabetes 7. Generalised pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia 8. Known peripheral neuropathies 9. Known allergies towards the interventions 10. Gastric bypass or other malabsorption syndrome 11. In case of pharmacological weight loss medication (e.g. glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues) or pharmacological osteoporosis medication, dosage must have been stable for 3 months without any plan of up-titration during the study period 12. Any other condition or impairment that, in the opinion of the investigator, makes a potential participant unsuitable for participation or obstructs participation e.g. psychiatric disorders. Surgical history 13. History of hand surgery in the target hand within 12 months prior to enrolment 14. History of arthroplasty, arthrodesis or surgical treatment of thumb base osteoarthritis in the target hand Management strategies 15. Use of systemic corticosteroids equivalent of ≥ 7.5 mg prednisolone daily within 3 months 16. Treatment with denosumab (Prolia/Xgeva) 17. Participation in experimental device or experimental drug study 3 months prior to enrolment 18. Intra-articular treatments of any kind of any joint of the target hand 3 months before inclusion 19. Current use of synthetic or non-synthetic opioids 20. Planning to start other treatment for hand OA in the study participation period 21. Planned CT scan with iodine contrast 22. Scheduled surgery on upper extremity of the target hand during study participation 23. Scheduled surgery requiring pause of metformin, e.g. surgery in general anaesthesia, during study participation Reproductive system 24. Pregnancy 25. Planned pregnancy within the study period, 3 months after end of study treatment for female fertile participant and 6 months after end of study treatment for male participant 26. Insufficient anti-conception therapy for female fertile participants within the study period and 3 months after end of study treatment Sufficient anti-conception therapy consists of intra-uterine device (coil), hormonal anti-conception (birth control pills, implant, intra-uterine system, dermal patch, vaginal ring, or injections) or sexual abstinence Female participants are considered infertile if they are postmenopausal or if they have undergone surgical sterilisation (bilateral salpingectomy, hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy) Postmenopausal state is defined as no menses for 12 months without alternative medical cause before inclusion in the study 27. Insufficient anti-conception therapy for male participants within the study period and 6 months after end of study treatment Sufficient anti-conception therapy consists of condom or sexual abstinence Male participants are considered sterile if they have undergone surgical sterilisation (vasectomy) 28. Breast-feeding Blood analysis 29. Positive anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (>10 kU/L) 30. eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 31. Vitamin B12 deficiency < 200 pmol/L 32. Hba1c ≥ 48 mmol/mol
Endpoints
Primary and secondary outcome measures (English text)
Primary endpoints 1
- Change from baseline in VAS finger joint pain of the target hand after 16 weeks of treatment (at the week 17 visit).
Investigational products
Investigational medicinal products (IMPs), comparators, placebo, auxiliary
Test 1
Metformin Orifarm 500 mg filmdragerade tabletter
PRD339266 · Product
- Active substance
- Metformin Hydrochloride
- Pharmaceutical form
- FILM-COATED TABLET
- Route of administration
- ORAL
- Max daily dose
- 2 g gram(s)
- Max total dose
- 203 g gram(s)
- Max treatment duration
- 16 Week(s)
- Authorisation status
- Authorised
- ATC code
- A10BA02 — METFORMIN
- Marketing authorisation
- 27607
- MA holder
- ORIFARM GENERICS A/S
- MA country
- Sweden
- Paediatric formulation
- No
- Orphan designation
- No
- Modified vs. Marketing Authorisation
- No
Placebo 1
N/A · Product
- Other product name
- N/A
- Pharmaceutical form
- N/A
- ATC code
- N/A — N/A
- Marketing authorisation
- N/A
- MA holder
- N/A
- MA country
- Iceland
- Paediatric formulation
- No
Sponsors and contacts
Sponsor organisations, regulatory contacts, third parties
Bispebjerg Hospital
- Sponsor organisation
- Bispebjerg Hospital
- Address
- Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 31
- City
- Herlev
- Postcode
- 2730
- Country
- Denmark
Scientific contact point
- Organisation
- Bispebjerg Hospital
- Contact name
- The Parker Institute
Public contact point
- Organisation
- Bispebjerg Hospital
- Contact name
- The Parker Institute
Third parties 1
| Organisation | City, country | Duties |
|---|---|---|
| Frederiksberg Hospital ORG-100028217
|
Frederiksberg, Denmark | On site monitoring |
Locations
1 EU/EEA country · 2 investigational sites
By country
| Country | MS status | Planned subjects | Sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Ongoing, recruitment ended | 150 | 2 |
| Rest of world | — | 0 | — |
Investigational sites
Country notifications
Trial-start, recruitment-start, end and early-termination notifications submitted per Member State
| Country | Trial start | Trial end | Recruitment start | Recruitment end | Early termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2024-05-03 | 2024-06-03 | 2025-10-30 |
Oversight and notifications
Regulatory notifications under CTR Articles 38, 52, 53, 54 and 77
Serious breaches 1 · Art. 52 CTR
Serious breach SB-87379
- Sponsor became aware
- 2025-06-12
- Date of breach
- 2025-02-12
- Submission date
- 2025-06-20
- Member states concerned
- Denmark
- Categories
- Regulation
- Areas impacted
- Data reliability or robustness
- Benefit-risk balance changed
- No
- Description
- In connection with the establishment of a new trial site (Silkeborg), a new randomization list specifically for this site is generated by the Pharmacy of the Capital Region. This randomization list was erroneously never forwarded to METRO’s study personnel. Independently of this, the Silkeborg site was mistakenly initiated by the METRO study personnel without a randomization list. Thus, errors have occurred both at the Pharmacy of the Capital Region and with the METRO project’s study personnel. This has resulted in four trial participants not being assigned medication corresponding to their baseline allocation, either at the baseline visit or at the week 8 visit, but instead having been crossed over to active/placebo. It was decided by the METRO steering committee that participants, as soon as possible, should return to the study medication to which they were allocated at baseline. Two of the trial participants returned to their baseline allocation at the week 8 visit. One participant already finished the end-of-trial (week 16) visit. One participant has 4 weeks left to end-of-trial visit. For this participant it was decided to not return to the allocated group due to potential adverse effects of switching from placebo to maximum dose of metformin.
The randomization list for the Silkeborg site has now been implemented, so that participants who are already enrolled will remain in the group to which they were allocated at baseline.
No additional sites will be established in the METRO study, so the error will not recur. - Sponsor actions
- 12.06.2025: Date of becoming aware of the serious breach.
13.06.2025: the randomization list for site Silkeborg is implemented and thus the problem is solved.
13.06.2025 – 20.06.2025: discussion with the Pharmacy of the Capital Region, the external monitors (GCP unit) and steering committee of the METRO trial about how to handle the serious breach.
17.06.2025: The affected participants informed by telephone to pause the study medication.
20.06.2025: The affected participants informed by telephone and written letter about the mistake and how it will be solved.
| Organisation | City | Country | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region Midtjylland | Silkeborg | Denmark | Clinical facility BE/BA |
Results and documents
Annex IV summary of results, Annex V layperson summary, and all documents registered in CTIS for this trial
Documents 13 files
Public protocol annexes, IB summaries, regulatory submissions and post-authorisation documents registered in CTIS.
| Type | Title | Version |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol (for publication) | Appendix 1 Medicindagbog | 1 |
| Protocol (for publication) | Appendix 2 Efficacy outcomes questionnaires and scoring sheets | 1 |
| Protocol (for publication) | Appendix 7 deltagerkort | 1 |
| Protocol (for publication) | PROTOCOL Metformin for Hand OA latest | 4 |
| Recruitment arrangements (for publication) | Annoncemateriale | 2 |
| Subject information and informed consent form (for publication) | Deltagerinformation forlngelse | 1 |
| Subject information and informed consent form (for publication) | Deltagerinformation mundtlig | 2 |
| Subject information and informed consent form (for publication) | Deltagerinformation skriftlig | 2 |
| Subject information and informed consent form (for publication) | Dine rettigheder som forsgsperson i forsg med medicin | 1 |
| Subject information and informed consent form (for publication) | Samtykkeerklring | 2 |
| Subject information and informed consent form (for publication) | Samtykkeerklring forlngelse | 1 |
| Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) (for publication) | Appendix 3 Produktresume Metformin Orifarm | 1 |
| Synopsis of the protocol (for publication) | Protokol synopsis | 2 |
Application history
3 submissions — initial application plus substantial / non-substantial modifications
| # | Type | Code | Submitted | Reference MS | Conclusion | Decision date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | INITIAL | IN | 2024-01-09 | Denmark | Acceptable 2024-04-10
|
2024-04-11 |
| 2 | SUBSTANTIAL MODIFICATION | SM-1 | 2024-06-12 | Denmark | Acceptable 2024-07-30
|
2024-07-31 |
| 3 | SUBSTANTIAL MODIFICATION | SM-2 | 2025-05-02 | Denmark | Acceptable 2025-06-12
|
2025-06-12 |